Until the Morning
by splendidlyimperfect
Summary: When Lieutenant Helo is sent to Nar Shadda, it brings back some painful memories. Aric tries to help. Note: non-canon after the beginning of Nar Shadda.
1. Chapter 1

"Your next target is on Nar Shaddaa."

Aric didn't miss the way his CO's jaw suddenly clenched at the words, or how the middle fingers of her left hand began tapping against her palm. General Garza and Dorne didn't appear to notice – they didn't hear the tightness and strain in Helo's voice as she asked respectfully about the mission and the target, and ended the call with a, "thank you, sir". Aric noticed it all – but then again, he noticed almost everything about Lieutenant Helo Summers. He wasn't sure exactly when it started. Back on Ord Mantell, she had been nothing to him but a rookie, an untested girl in howevermany hundred pounds of durasteel armor. He hadn't seen past the uniform, the regulation weapon, her tight salutes and ability to obey orders without question. Eventually he had seen a dedication to the Republic that had earned his grudging respect, although Aric never would have admitted it at the time. Even through the angry haze of the squad defection and his subsequent demotion, Helo had remained calm, kind and professional. Being made a sergeant on the new Havoc Squad had stung, but less so with her as his commanding officer.

The call ended and the Garza's image blinked out, leaving the three of them standing in silence next to the holoterminal. Helo's hands were both clenched into fists now, and her jaw was set. She looked like she might be sick. Elara stepped forward, her face filled with concern, but when Helo waved a hand in her direction and muttered "dismissed", she nodded and exited the room.

"Everything all right, sir?" Aric didn't move toward her, and kept his voice low and non-threatening. He had seen her in action, and knew that despite her gentle demeanor and facade of unbridled optimism that she was one woman he did NOT want to fuck with.

"Mmm." Her murmur of assent was so quiet he almost didn't catch it. She leaned against the holoterminal with both hands as if she were going to collapse. "Can you please set the coordinates? I need...a minute." She ducked a quick look up at him with her unreadable grey eyes and he nodded immediately.

"Of course, sir." He saluted and she smiled thinly.

"Thank you, Aric." Every time she used his first name it made his stomach feel strange. He swallowed and glanced back at her as he headed up towards the bridge, and he could see her shoulders shaking. It took everything he had to walk away.


	2. Chapter 2

Helo kept to her quarters for most of the trip to Nar Shaddaa. She emerged a few times while Aric and Elara were drinking caf and chatting over a meal, but she hadn't joined them, which was uncharacteristic of her. Through their travels, Aric had found her to be friendly, compassionate and kind – traits that weren't often found in the soldiers he had worked with. The anger he had felt at Tavus' defection and his subsequent demotion had been soothed by her optimistic demeanor. Even though she was now his commanding officer, she treated him with the respect of her superior, even refraining from using his new title of Sergeant and instead simply calling him "Jorgan".

They had developed an easy rapport on Coruscant, fighting back-to-back through Black Sun and the Justicars and even bringing in Karden alive. The way that Helo had treated Karden – it had made Aric's head swim. Her kindness and compassion had convinced the stubborn man to turn himself in to the Republic, something Aric would have never thought possible. And the grace and poise she had exuded during the hearing was incredible. Even though Senator Krasul was a fellow Cathar, Aric had been ready to rip his throat out. But Helo had just smiled that disarming smile, and the council had let them go.

They had even come close to...something, at one point. He hadn't meant to flirt, but when she teased him about looking through her belongings and looked up at him through her pale hair with that glint in her eye, he hadn't been able to help himself. And it hadn't backfired – her smile had widened, if that was even possible, and she had flirted right back. He had felt a strange tightness in his chest as she had walked away from him that day. What was he getting himself into?

Nar Shaddaa turned out to be exactly what Aric expected. Flashy lights, neon signs, pazzac tables, strippers, the works. Helo walked beside him, her hands clenched into fists, her heavy boots scraping against the pavement. She hadn't said a word since they disembarked, after General Garza's briefing and information about the SIS agent. When they had walked out of the spaceport, she had looked up for several minutes, taking in the ships and the towers and the millions of people. Aric had watched her, but her face had been unreadable.

Helo didn't speak again until they found the cantina they were looking for, jostled their way past all sorts of drunken aliens, and found themselves in a cozy sort of private room with a scruffy-looking man in his mid-thirties. Aric immediately found himself irritated with the way this man looked at Helo.

"Well hello, gorgeous," he drawled. "You must be Helo. I'm Jonas." He stood up smoothly and reached out a hand. Helo ignored it.

"That's Lieutenant Helo to you," she snapped irritably, and he dropped his hand, looking dejected. Her gaze softened, but only a little. "We were told you have a situation with a rogue droid. What information do you have for me?" Jonas motioned for Aric and Helo to sit at his table, and motioned to the bartender as he slid back into his seat. He leaned forward, steepling his hands and resting his chin on top.

"We have information," he began slowly, the flirtatious drawl now replaced by serious professionalism. "But we're not sure how reliable it is. We've been using locals on Nar Shaddaa to find out information on the Empire's movements, but, well...you know how it is." Aric snorted and Helo grunted in assertion. The bartender appeared with their drinks and placed them on the table, then disappeared discreetly.

"So who do I have to interrogate?" Helo asked wearily. Aric glanced at her, furrowing his brow in concern. She seemed so tired, so...lifeless. Her usually dancing grey eyes were dull and downcast, and no hint of a smile touched her lips.

"I don't have a name, but these are his coordinates, and all of the information we have on the droid." Jonas pulled out a datapad and tapped in a few commands, swiping forward to send them to Helo. "The contact is a smuggler of sorts, petty crimes from what we've seen. He seems eager to help the Republic if we...overlook certain things." Aric's blood boiled at the sentiment, but Helo merely nodded. "Lesser of two evils, and all."

Helo pushed her untouched drink back towards Jonas, then stood up and nodded curtly at him. "We'll be in touch," she said, then turned and headed out of the cantina without a backward glance. Aric stood quickly to follow her, but Jonas put a hand on his forearm. Aric resisted jerking away, but growled quietly.

"Is everything okay with her?" Jonas asked, looking at Aric quizzically.

"What, something's wrong with her because she wasn't interested in your ridiculous pickup lines?" Aric snapped, immediately regretting his rudeness but unable to retract it. Jonas jerked his hand away as if scalded, and gave Aric a long, cool stare. Aric returned it until Jonas broke eye contact, then he turned and hurried after Helo.


	3. Chapter 3

The trip to the coordinates provided by Balkar was uneventful – the taxi system took them most of the way, and the remainder they went on foot. They could have rented a speeder, but Aric had the feeling that Helo was in no hurry to get wherever they were going.

The area that they were in now was incredibly run down – one of the grungier slums Aric had been in. Side alleys and dark corners were filled with shady-looking characters exchanging money and drugs. Voluptuous women in revealing outfits leaned out of side doors, beckoning to them in various languages. Aric felt naked – Helo had insisted that they leave their armor behind and dress in civilian clothes in order to interrogate this smuggler. While he had to admit that it was nice to see her in her casual wear – a loose-fitting shirt and tight pants tucked into leather boots – he wished that she were better protected.

" _Chakaar_!" A large man running one of the stalls along the road stepped out and grabbed a small, skinny child that had tried to dart away from him with an armful of – whatever he was selling. Eels, maybe? Something edible, Aric thought. The man pulled the child to face him, snatched the food from her hand, and began to shout at her in Huttese. Helo immediately moved forward, and Aric followed her, one hand on the pistol at his hip.

" _Drop her_." Aric had never heard Helo speak Huttese before, but her voice sounded cold and deadly. She had one hand resting on the large man's forearm, and the other was holding her pistol to his temple. " _Now, or I will shoot_." Aric's hand trembled over his gun – she was definitely out of line, but he didn't want to blow their cover. Was this an act?

"Feh." The man released the child – a young girl – and threw up his hands in disdain. " _She's not worth it anyway_." Helo lowered her weapon and holstered it, then withdrew a credit stick and offered it to the man.

" _For the food_ ," she explained, gesturing to the pile of slimy-looking meat. He huffed, but completed the exchange. Helo then knelt down next to the scared-looking girl and began speaking to her in a soft, reassuring voice. Aric's hand still hovered over his pistol, but as he looked around he realized that they were not at the center of attention like he had assumed. This kind of thing must happen all the time around here, he mused.

"We're the good guys, I promise," Aric heard Helo say quietly. "I know it doesn't look like it, but we're Republic soldiers. Right, Aric?" She used his first name again. His stomach twisted. He knelt down next to the girl, who couldn't have been older than seven, and nodded.

"We're friends," he murmured, knowing his Huttese was rusty and probably difficult to understand. The little girl wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Now that he was close up, Aric could see the bruises and scrapes on her arms and wrists, and the deep bruise that encircled one of her eyes. She looked petrified, and clutched the eel-food to her chest nervously.

"Who did this to you?" Helo asked softly. The girl refused to meet her gaze, and flinched when Helo touched her wrist, but didn't run away. "I can make sure you're safe. You're protecting someone else, aren't you?" The girl looked surprised, then nodded. "Sister? Brother?" A nod. Helo turned to Aric. "Can you call Balkar and tell him we need two kids taken into custody?"

Balkar hadn't been happy about taking the children – it turned out her brother was younger, only four years old, and Helo had carried both children to the taxi and kissed them gently on their heads before they left. Aric had seen Balkar's face soften at that, but it didn't stop him from reprimanding Aric on the holo.

"We're SIS, not a babysitting organization," he muttered as Aric sent him the coordinates. He hadn't argued though, and the whole situation had gone rather smoothly. Helo had watched the taxi leave with a sad sort of smile, then motioned for Aric to follow her.

"I grew up here, you know." Her voice was so soft that for a moment Aric didn't realize she was speaking to him. He looked up, surprised. He had read her military record, but not her personal file, mostly because it felt like an invasion of her privacy.

"Sir?" She looked over at him and gave him a half-smile.

"That's why I stopped." She rubbed her left wrist and sighed. "I know it's 'outside mission parameters' and Balkar was pissed, but I just...I had to."

"I understand, sir."

"No, you don't." She didn't sound angry, just sad. "But that's why I'm glad you're with me." She stopped, then, and turned to face Aric, gazing straight into his eyes. "This might get personal for me. And if it does, and I'm out of line, you'll have to stop me." Her voice was hard now, and angry. "I do my best to play by the rules, to follow what's best for the Republic, to do my duty. But here...I haven't been back in twenty years. I thought it was behind me. I guess it was pretty foolish to hope that I'd never have to come back here." Helo had never talked about her childhood or her life before the service. Now, Aric could see why.

"Understood, sir," he replied, feeling that it was a woefully inadequate response but not knowing what else to say.

"Thank you." Helo reached out and gripped his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before turning around and staring at a derelict-looking warehouse entrance guarded by two heavily armed Devoronians. "I guess we're here."

Getting past the guards was easy enough – Helo had a way with people that made them trust her. They were led into a large storage area stacked to the roof with crates and containers, then told to wait at the bottom of a large set of stairs. One of the guards stayed with them, and the three of them silently watched other rough-looking aliens move cargo for over an hour. Aric could feel the uncomfortable tension radiating from Helo, and was surprised she hadn't started pacing. Finally, when his back was starting to ache, a voice called down the stairs and they were taken up to meet their contact. Sitting at a makeshift desk was a heavy-set, brutish looking cyborg with one eye and a robotic arm. He leaned forward onto the table and eyed them up and down as his guards patted them down for weapons. Once both their blasters were set onto his desk, he spoke in crude Basic.

"Balkar sent you, yes?" A tight nod from Helo. "Excellent. I am Kveth."


	4. Chapter 4

"Lieutenant, you are out of line!" The words echoed in his head, as did the feeling of her shoulders under his hands as he pulled her away from Kveth. As soon as he had said his name, she had stiffened and then raced toward him, planting her fist directly in the middle of his face. His associates had reached for their weapons, but Aric had been faster, running after her and pulling her back. She had turned to face him and he had been astonished to see that her stormy eyes held not anger but sadness. There were unshed tears brimming behind them that she had blinked away hastily while she shoved Aric backwards. She had stormed out, one hand snatching up her blaster from the desk, the other hand fishing her holo from her belt. Aric had glared at the mercenaries, daring them to come after them, but nobody had moved. When he finally turned and followed Helo out onto the street, he could see her speaking to agent Balkar on the holo. Her voice had been low and even, and he had only caught the words "idiots" and "unacceptable" before she had shoved the device back into her pocket in frustration.

Garza had been...well, the best word to describe it was 'irate'. Aric had watched as Helo stood at the holo, taking a tirade of criticism and anger from her commanding officer. She hadn't even blinked, just nodded and murmured "yes, sir" and "of course, sir", and "it won't happen again, sir" over and over again. Luckily for Havoc Squad, Garza said, she had been able to smooth things over with the SIS and with Kveth, explaining away Helo's behavior with a fabricated stim overdose. They were taking a day off, then returning to Nar Shaddaa – and Kveth – tomorrow. After the holo shut off, Helo had stormed into her quarters and stayed there for several hours.

And now she was standing at the door to Aric's room, arms crossed and shoulder resting against the frame. Her white hair was messy, and strands were stuck to the dark pattern of tattoos around the corners of her eyes. He'd never asked her about those. "...game?" Aric started, realizing that she had been talking to him while he was busy staring at her eyes. Blood rushed to his face and his cheeks felt hot. He nodded abruptly, wondering what he was agreeing to and thanking the stars that Cathar don't blush. She gave him a soft smile, then pushed off the doorway and headed toward the gym. He followed, realizing that they were both in their off-duty wear and admiring how her thin pants clung to her muscled thighs.

Once in the gym, Helo began stretching her arms, then stepped into the center of the mat. Sparring match, Aric realized. She obviously needed to let off some steam. He shed his sweater and moved forward to stand across from her, raising his hands.

"Don't go easy on me," she warned, grinning a little. He was about to make a sarcastic reply when she moved in and punched him in the jaw. He staggered backward, shaking his head, while she laughed. It was a perfect sound, and he would let her hit him a million times just to hear it. But she didn't want him to let her win, so he pounced.

Ten minutes later they were both panting, hands on their knees and sweat running down their backs. Helo was smiling, and Aric found that he was too.

"Phewwww," Helo sighed, sinking down onto the floor and flopping onto her back. "It's been a while since I fought someone who could hold their own against me." Aric laughed.

"I could say the same." He stood awkwardly for a moment until she patted the floor next to her and slid over a bit. He sunk down next to her but didn't lie down. "Not to brag, but Cathar are typically stronger than humans. And more flexible."

"Flexible, huh?" She didn't look at him, but he could hear the teasing in her voice and it made him feel warm and tingly. "I actually don't know much about Cathar, to be honest."

"Well...what do you want to know?" Aric began a cool-down stretch, and when he moved over he found that his thigh was touching Helo's. He didn't move it away.

"Oh god, I dunno." Helo exhaled a bit and brushed her forelock out of her eyes. She was wearing a tank top, and Aric could see a thick ring of scars around her wrists, and a series of smaller, straight scars running up her left arm. He had noticed them for the first time during their spar, and the distraction had cost him a bloody nose. "Do you purr?" Helo giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh stars, that's probably horribly offensive. I'm sorry!"

"Um. No, no it's fine. Ah...yes, I guess?" Helo uncovered her eyes and looked up at him curiously. "Cathar have specialized vocal chords to produce growls and purrs." Here he felt his cheeks heat up once more. "Purring is very... intimate, though. Only done with lovers and young." Why did his throat feel so thick?

"Huh." Helo sat up so that she was facing him and crossed her legs. "You learn something new every day." She grinned at him, but her smile faded as she saw him looking at her arms. "Ah." There was an awkward pause.

"I'm sorry, sir." Aric moved to stand up, but she reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to the floor. "It's not my business."

"I think we're beyond that," Helo murmured softly, not letting go of his wrist. "And we're off-duty. Call me Helo." Aric swallowed. "The ones on my wrist are from cuffs – pretty obvious." Aric looked down at them and without thinking, he twisted his hand in hers and ran his thumb over the thickest part of the scar that ran directly over her wrist. Her breath hitched, but she didn't pull away. "I was taken by a Nar Shaddaa gang when I was five or six – my father was part of one of the other gangs and was killed to send a message to his boss. They took me and my brother." Her eyes were almost glazed now, like she was reciting the story from memory. Aric continued to run his thumb along her wrist and up her forearm.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Aric said softly. Helo smiled sadly.

"He was killed a few years later." Aric's heart sank. "His name was Reid...he always took care of me. After he died things just got so much worse." Her voice wavered a bit, and Aric reached out his other hand and placed it on her thigh, just above her knee. He was facing her, his thigh resting against her calf and vice versa, and he could see the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes.

"You don't have to-"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "I need this. Is that okay?" Aric nodded silently and squeezed her leg. She leaned closer in to him and he resisted the urge to sweep her entirely into his arms. "These ones," she said, gesturing to the longer, thicker scars running from her wrist to the crook of her arm, "are from me." Aric stiffened. She had done that to herself? She looked up at him, seeing the confusion on his face. "Sometimes that pain was easier to deal with than...everything else."

"What did they do to you?" Aric murmured softly, reaching up and gently touching her cheek. He had never been this close to her, but he could see now that the dark tattoos on her cheeks and around her eyes were hiding even more jagged, uneven scars.

"Nar Shaddaa is a horrible place," she whispered. "And terrible men do terrible things to scared little girls." Aric felt like he was going to be sick. "Apparently young girls are worth a lot the first time. Less so the second, third, hundredth time, but it's still a way for gangsters to make credits." Helo's gaze had dropped now, and she was crying a little, chest shaking silently.

"Oh, _tajr_ ," Aric murmured, leaning forward and pulling her to his chest. She didn't resist, just lay her head on him and began to sob softly, twisting her fingers into the front of his shirt. He rested his chin on her head and moved his free hand to the back of her neck, stroking her hair gently. " _Ot's vysa_. It's okay." She seemed to relax under his hand, and after a few minutes her crying subsided. She didn't pull away, though. Aric had to focus to keep his hand from trembling. He knew that horrible things happened in those kinds of places, but the idea of someone hurting this brave, beautiful woman made him crazy with anger.

"A Republic soldier rescued me," she mumbled into his shirt. "Her name was Mel. She found me in the apartment of this Imperial Moff who she was going to have arrested. I was in the closet and made a noise, and as soon as she saw me, she turned around and put a blaster bolt between his eyes." Aric rumbled approvingly. "She helped me save all my friends, her squad raided the gangster's base and got everyone out. The Republic took us all in, found foster homes for the younger kids, and offered to let me join the army."

"Wait, how old were you?" Aric leaned back and looked at her face. "How long were you..."

"Seventeen," she replied flatly. "Ten years." His hands moved up to her arms and squeezed them gently.

"I am so sorry," he murmured, trying to catch her gaze.

"I owe everything to the Republic," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. "But the leader got away. The SIS was protecting him – just a 'petty criminal' who passed Imperial information to them. Mel testified that he was a sex trafficker, but the SIS has enough power to keep anyone safe if they're useful." Aric started as he realized what she meant.

"Kveth," he growled. She nodded.

"I didn't realize it was him until he said his name." She slowly slipped her hands from his and stretched her back, pushing her palms into the floor. "I know I shouldn't have hit him, but-"

" _Rtvih'ri_. I'll kill him myself." Aric snarled and stood up quickly. Helo jumped to her feet as well and grabbed both his forearms. He could feel the heat of her hands through his thick fur, and he stared at her helplessly, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"You can't," she whispered fiercely. "All I did was hit him and see how much trouble I caused?" Aric relaxed slightly, but his fists were still clenched and his heart was still racing. How could the Republic let a _kul'ver_ like that live? Weren't they meant to protect the innocent, to stop these kinds of things from happening? Helo reached one hand up and touched his chin, looking at him intensely. "The mission comes first." He nodded begrudgingly. "I just needed to tell someone." Her hand dropped from his face, but he grabbed it again and placed it back on his cheek.

"He won't hurt you again." It came out as a growl, fiercer than he had intended, but she smiled a little and nodded. What he had meant to say was, I won't let him hurt you again, but he knew that she could take care of herself now. She didn't need him to fight her battles.

"I know," she whispered, then suddenly surged forward on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Aric's.

He stiffened for a moment, caught completely off guard, but it took him almost no time to soften his own lips against hers, then wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into him. Her lips were dry and smooth and felt incredible, and when she nipped his bottom lip he made an obscene sound into her mouth. He ran one hand down her back and gripped her backside tightly, then slid the fingers of his other hand through her hair. It was so soft and fine, and she smelled like soap and sweat and caf, and tasted bitter and sweet all at the same time. Somewhere inside of him, a little voice was telling him how this was a terrible idea, she was his CO and there were rules, but he told it to shut the hell up and kept kissing her.

She slid her fingers down to the bottom of his shirt and ran her hands underneath, over his bare fur. It felt incredible and he moaned softly. She started moving forward and eventually backed him up against the wall, straddling one of his thighs and pressing her breasts and stomach against him. He was achingly hard, couldn't help himself – it had been years (maybe never) since someone had kissed him like this.

"Helo," he murmured, and she made a soft sound of assent. "Maybe we should-" She reached up and placed a finger on his lips, looking up at him through a curtain of hair. Her pupils were dilated and she was panting slightly, and she gave him a mischievous grin.

"Aric Jorgan, as your commanding officer, I am ordering you to shut the hell up and kiss me." Her voice was low and breathy, and Aric couldn't remember ever hearing anything more sensual in his entire life. He pulled her closer to him and complied.


	5. Chapter 5

Elara had returned to the ship a bit earlier than expected and had walked in on them, still fully clothed but pressed against the wall and each other. Aric had started to explain, but Elara had just held her hand up and backed out of the room. Helo had flushed red and smiled, then shyly led him to her quarters.

Now they lay on her bed. Helo was tucked against Aric, her face nuzzled into the crook of his neck, her hand running along the soft fur behind his ears. It felt heavenly.

"Lovers and young, huh?" Helo murmured softly, lifting her face to look Aric in the eye. His brow furrowed in confusion, and she laughed. "You're purring, silly." Aric's face flushed hot as he realized he was, in fact, purring while she – was she petting him? It just felt so good and intimate and the low rumbling in his chest couldn't be helped. He smiled and kissed the end of her nose.

"Just don't let anyone in on the secret," he said softly, resting his chin on top of her head. There was a comfortable silence for a moment, then Aric sighed. "Helo, what – what are we doing? Are you okay?" She nodded, placing a kiss on his jaw.

"Aric, this has nothing to do with what I told you earlier." He felt some of the tension begin to dissolve. "Well, mostly. I've wanted this for – well, a while now. I've admired you since the beginning, but I think on Coruscant ...I don't know. Did you feel it too?" Aric nodded. "It's just...scary for me." She slowly sat up next to him, keeping one of her hands entwined with his. She looked slightly uncomfortable, and he squeezed her knee reassuringly. "I haven't...been with anyone. Since everything with Kveth." Aric raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. "My CO at training sent me to counselling, obviously, and it helped a lot, but...you're the first person who's touched me - like that - since then." She looked away from him, a fine pink blush creeping up her neck into her cheeks.

"I'm honored that you trust me," Aric said, reaching up and tracing one of her tattoos with his free hand. "And I promise to never do anything to break that trust. If I ever cross a line, go too far – you just let me know." Helo nodded into his hand, then pressed a kiss to his palm.

"Can we take it slow?" She looked...worried, maybe? Aric smiled.

"Of course." Then he reached up and pulled her back down into a firm embrace. "This can be whatever you need."

Aric woke up with a start and tried to sit up, then realized that his arm was pinned underneath Helo. She was whimpering softly and shuddering in her sleep.

"Helo. _Svetlobi_. Wake up." He murmured the words quietly into her ear and shook her shoulder, but she just flinched and let out a soft cry. He squirmed until his arm was out from underneath her, then tried to turn her toward him. Still sound asleep, she yanked her shoulder forward and started thrashing more forcefully, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

"Helo!" Aric's tone was urgent now, but still quiet enough to not disturb Elara. The last thing Helo needed was-

" _Jot mi bolla_!" Helo screamed and lunged into a sitting position, grabbing Aric's wrist and pinning him to the bed in one swift motion. She reached down to the bottom of her pants and deftly whipped out a small dagger that had been strapped to her ankle, then brought it to rest on Aric's throat. " _Cha kark couma mi_." Her voice was deep and dangerous and her eyes were wild, moving erratically around the room. Aric put both hands up near his head in surrender and tried to catch her gaze.

"Helo, it's me. It's Aric." He kept his voice soft, like he was calming a frightened nexu kitten. "You're safe here, we're on the ship." The blade quivered at his throat and tears brimmed in her eyes. A soft ping sounded at the door and Aric swore under his breath.

"Is everything okay in there?" Elara's sharply accented voice sounded somewhat groggy, but when there was no answer she rapped on the door again. Helo snarled, keeping the knife at Aric's throat.

" _Wahey_!" She shouted, turning to face the door. Aric took the opportunity to quickly disarm her, throwing the dagger on the floor and pinning Helo's arms to her sides. She cried out again, thrashing her head from side to side.

"Sir, I'm coming in!" Elara must have had an override code, because seconds later the door slid open with a soft whoosh. The ex-Imperial officer stood in the doorway in a set of lounge clothes, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders, a medpack tucked under one arm, and a blaster pistol steadied in both hands. It was aimed directly at Aric's forehead.

"Elara, stop, this isn't-"

"Put her down." Elara's voice was icy. "Put her down NOW, Aric." Helo was still struggling in his arms, and he flinched when she managed to bite down on one of his hands.

"Elara, she's having a night terror." The young woman looked suspicious, but didn't lower her weapon. "She attacked me, we need to sedate her before she hurts herself." Helo sobbed and spat out another unfamiliar phrase. "I can't even understand what she's saying."

"She's speaking Huttese," Elara replied softly, lowering her weapon and moving toward Aric and Helo. "Sir, can you hear me? It's Sergeant Dorne." Helo didn't seem to respond, and Elara dropped to one knee, taking out the medkit from under her arm and opening it. Withdrawing a hypo, she prepped it and looked up into Helo's wild eyes. "I'm giving you a sedative, sir. Everything will feel better soon." Then, before Aric could even register what she was doing, the hypo was plunged into Helo's neck, and seconds later she went limp.

Aric staggered a bit against the sudden weight, but managed to catch her before she fell.

"Medbay or here?"

"Here's fine." Elara moved the sheets out of the way and Aric laid Helo on her bed, gently pushing a pillow underneath her head and pulling the blanket up to her chest. Her breathing was relaxed now, and she looked like she was in a deep, peaceful sleep. He reached up and touched her cheek tenderly, not even caring that Elara was watching.

"Care to explain what just happened?" Elara's voice was carefully neutral as she watched Aric make Helo comfortable. "I've never seen that kind of behavior from her before."

"Neither have I." Aric shook his head. "I think it might be..." he trailed off here, uncertain of how much Dorne knew, and how much Helo would want her to know.

"Kveth?" Elara supplied. Aric looked at her, shocked. "I read her personnel file, then put two and two together after she assaulted him. Seemed rather out of character for her." Elara moved over to the other side of the bed and felt for Helo's pulse, then ran a scanner over her and nodded when the lights blinked green. "She'll be fine, we just have to wait for the sedative to wear off. She didn't injure anything." Elara looked over at Aric's hand. "We should bandage that."

"Huh." Aric looked down at his hand where Helo had bit him. It was bleeding slightly, but he wasn't concerned about it. "How long will she-"

"A while," Elara replied, moving over to Aric's side of the bed and ushering him to a chair while she pulled out antiseptic and bandages. "I didn't have time to calibrate the dose." Aric nodded absently as Elara worked on his hand.

"You speak Huttese?" He finally asked. "A little, yes." Elara finished bandaging his hand and tucked everything back into the medkit. To his surprise, she sat gingerly on the edge of Helo's bed and looked at him curiously. "You?"

"Not enough," he admitted. "Haven't been to a world with Hutts in a long time. Can you...do you know what she was saying?"

"I didn't hear all of it," Elara replied, "but I think she thought you were someone else. Someone who had hurt her. She told you not to touch her, and called you some rather unpleasant names that don't translate well into Basic." Aric's stomach twisted. That was what he was afraid of. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and took one of Helo's hands in his, then began stroking it absently with his thumb.

"Thank you," he said, not looking at Elara.

"For not shooting you?" She said with a wry smile.

"For helping her," he replied. Elara nodded somberly. After a lengthy silence, he asked, "does Garza know?" Elara was silent, and he turned to look at her. She looked uncomfortable.

"I believe so," she said finally. "She has access to all of the Lieutenant's personnel documents, plus her intake forms with the Republic army. If I could put it together, I assume the General could too."

"And she sent her here anyway?" Aric's voice was incredulous. "That _zidlin_!" Elara looked shocked.

"You really shouldn't speak that way about Genera-"

"I will speak however I like about someone who would put Helo through this," he snarled. He noticed Elara's raised eyebrow and repeated - "someone who would put the Lieutenant through this." She nodded her head slightly.

"We are Havoc Squad, though," she replied. "I believe the sentiment is that one should put one's past and personal feelings aside for the good of the Republic." Aric glared up at her and she held up her hands. "I said 'I believe'. I know it's not that easy." The angry look melted off Aric's face and he sighed. Of course Dorne would know that. She'd been through a lot as well.

"I just don't know if I can let him get away with it," he said finally, looking down at the thick scars on Helo's arms. Elara didn't say anything, just stood from the bed and squeezed Aric's shoulder.

"Call me if you need me," she said softly, and then she was gone as the door slid shut behind her.

Aric let out a deep breath, then began to stroke Helo's hair and sing to her. It was a lullaby that his mother had sang to him when he was young, and even after all these years, the words came easily.

 _Vidan kasnj a' ra s' ri s' ra ay ndzi nad_  
 _Nad a' tak kaz dom ii pya lya'tuk_  
 _Skaa a' lyat shen ra zvok ri torom_  
 _Dobru niecht ra svet, bul ri srd tak dobru mor_

"Until the morning," he repeated in Basic, kissing her forehead, then he leaned back against the wall and tried to get some sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Stim overdose, yes?" Kveth's enormous paunch jostled the table in front of him as he leaned forward and looked at Aric suspiciously. Aric, this time in full body armor, sat alone with the gangster in his 'office'. A comm in his ear linked him to Helo, who was safe back at the SIS base – he could hear her muttering to herself but tried his best to tune it out. Garza and Balkar had both approved the plan to let Aric play the part of Havoc Squad commander and paint Helo as one of his sergeants who had taken one too many stims. Aric could tell that Helo was unhappy with it, even though it was her plan, but she had kept her expression perfectly neutral during the holocall with Garza this morning. Balkar had given her a wide berth – perhaps he was expecting a punch as well, the thought of which made Aric smile – and when Aric had left, Helo had been sitting in the corner of the office with a datapad, swiping through a dossier on M1-4X. It had made his heart ache. He wanted nothing more than to go over to her, kiss her on the head, and tell her everything would be all right. Instead he had saluted her, turned on his heel, and headed to see the man who had enslaved her for ten years.

"That's right." Aric nodded and forced himself to meet Kveth's eyes. Eye? He couldn't tell if the implant on the left side of the man's face was an optical replacement, or just for decoration, but either way it unnerved him. "She's been suspended, on medical leave. Stress, probably. You know how it is." He flexed his hands under the table and took great pleasure in picturing all the ways he could disembowel this man.

"Feh." Kveth shifted his massive weight and scratched at his enormous belly. He still had a dark bruise running under his functioning eye, even after kolto treatments. Aric was surprised that he was willing to work with the Republic again, but then again, he must be desperate for protection. "Is no matter. SIS-man says you make it up, do favor, yes?"

"That's correct." Aric had almost strangled Balkar this morning when he explained that in order to get back in Kveth's good graces, Havoc Squad was being requested to pick up some sort of unidentified cargo and bring it to the man's warehouse without asking questions. Only Helo's hand on his shoulder and his innate sense of duty had kept him from acting on it. "I believe you have some coordinates for us?" Kveth nodded and reached into a drawer next to him, pulling out a datapad and tapping its screen.

"Small boxes, two of them," Kveth explained. "Locked, you no open." Aric nodded. "Man named Guerre is here, you tell him ' _bu tapka doth janse_ '. You return here. No followers."

"And after this, you tell us what we want to know about the Imps and the rogue droid." It wasn't a question, and Kveth didn't take it as one. He merely nodded and motioned for Aric to leave.

Back at the SIS base, Balkar looked at the datapad unhappily, then pulled up a map of the city. Aric kept his eyes on Helo, who was still in her civilian clothes and leaning against the far wall. Elara was here as well, in her medical uniform, treating a wounded civilian in a cot in the other room.

"There's always the potential that it's a trap," Jonas was saying, but Aric waved his hand dismissively.

"If he wanted to kill me, he could have just done it while I was there." Aric took the datapad back from Jonas and looked back to Helo. "Besides, it was your idea." He glanced over at Helo. "Would you like me to take care of this, sir?" He tried to keep the concern and affection from his voice, hoping that Balkar didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Helo shook her head.

"Let me go get changed. I'll meet you out front in five."

Guerre was a tall Devaronian with one broken horn and a burn scar on the side of his face. They found him at the coordinates, which turned out to be an abandoned storefront in yet another shady part of town. Was there anywhere in Nar Shaddaa that _wasn't_ shady, Aric wondered? Helo told Guerre the passcode and he happily handed over the two cases, not even attempting to negotiate, which Aric found suspicious. As soon as the cases were in their hands, Guerre disappeared into the shadows, leaving them alone in the store.

Helo held her case in both hands and turned it over, examining it suspiciously. It gave Aric time to get a good look at her. She had dark circles under both eyes, and the telltale redness of crying hadn't yet disappeared. She sported a split lip from their bout yesterday, and just looking at her lips made him want to kiss her again. He wasn't sure where things stood right now. When he had woken up this morning on the chair in her room, he had an aching neck, a sore hand, and an empty bed. He had found Helo in the kitchen making herself a cup of caf, but before he could say anything to her Elara had popped in and began talking to her about supply lists and inventory. Then they had moved straight into the holocall with Garza and Balkar, and now here they were.

"Sir, are we-"

"I can't do it." She interrupted him quietly, but it was as if she had shouted. The look of defeat on her face was too much for him. He moved over to where she was standing and tried to get her to look at him, but she refused to meet his gaze. She turned the case over in her hands again and looked at the latch. "What if he's hurting someone else?" Aric's heart ached. He glanced around to see if there were any cameras nearby, then reached out and gently took the case from Helo.

"It got dropped on the way back," he explained, hefting it in one hand and throwing it against a wall. "Gangsters, couldn't be helped." The case hit with a loud crack, then tumbled to the ground. Helo finally met Aric's gaze and smiled softly.

"Thank you," she whispered, reaching out and quickly squeezing his hand before walking over to the broken case. As she reached over and snapped it open, she swore. "Fuck." Aric moved over to stand beside her, and also cursed under his breath. The case held a shipment of slave collars. Helo reached up and ran her fingers over the small, round scars at the back of her neck, then threw the case on the ground and turned to Aric, eyes flashing angrily. "I'm going to kill that fucking bastard." Aric placed his hands on Helo's shoulders, but she shrugged them off forcefully, stalking away and muttering in Huttese. Aric was sure that whatever she was saying, it wasn't pleasant.

"Helo," he said quietly.

"No, you know what?" She rounded on him and balled her hands into fists. "I don't care. I've done everything the Republic has asked of me. Everything. I have _never_ questioned orders, _never_ refused a mission, _never_ done anything other than serve honorably." She looked him up and down, chest heaving, teeth clenched, hands opening and closing furiously. "And if they think that I'm just going to help them protect that – that MONSTER – they have another thing coming."

"Helo," he tried again, but she cut him off.

"I know what will happen. I know you can't let it happen." Her right hand moved unconsciously to the blaster at her hip and trembled there. "I just..." She bit off a frustrated cry and he could see tears spilling down her cheeks. He reached forward and grabbed her hands, pulling her into his chest. The armor made it difficult to get close, and she fought against him at first, but eventually went limp in his arms, sniffing miserably.

"I joined the Republic to fight the Imps," he said quietly into her ear. "But that doesn't mean I'll turn a blind eye to someone like Kveth." Helo pulled away and looked up at him, surprise and suspicious written all over her face.

"What are you saying?" Aric was still holding one of her hands, and he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

"I'm saying that we need a plan."


	7. Chapter 7

The plan ended up being surprisingly simple.

Aric had made a quick call with his holo to Garza, purposefully causing interference so the call cut off mid-sentence.

"Sergeant Jorgan reporting in – we have a … possibly volatile shipment … hostile contact … returning to Kveth immediately..." and then static. Garza had tried to reach him several times and so had Jonas, but Aric had deactivated the holo and shoved it back onto his belt.

Helo borrowed Aric's helmet to hide her face – luckily his armor was the same make as hers – and she accompanied Aric back to Kveth's warehouse, even though she was supposed to return to the SIS base. They went as quickly as possible without causing suspicion, Helo carrying the broken case and Aric the intact one. They had repaired the broken case as best as possible, but it was still obviously shattered on one corner.

The guards let them in this time without a second thought, and they made their way into the central "office" where Kveth sat, laughing boisterously with a group of grungy-looking mercenaries.

"Ah, my friend!" Kveth stood as he saw Aric and Helo enter, and his smile widened as he saw the cases in their hands. "You find my shipment! Excellent!" He motioned for them to step forward, but Aric didn't move.

"Information first," he growled, shaking the container in his hand. Helo could see through her helmet that his claws were extended, leaving small grey marks on the box. "I've had enough of you." Kveth made a face that looked almost hurt.

"I will to be giving you this information, of course," he drawled, tapping something into his computer and nodding at the datapad on Aric's belt. "I am man of my words. Is there. Now, my goods, yes?"

Aric glanced over to Helo and nodded. Slowly, she removed the helmet and tossed it on the floor, glaring at Kveth with unbridled fury.

"What is this?" He asked indignantly, waving his hand at her dismissively and then realizing who she was. "You tell me she is on leave!"

"I lied," Aric replied.

"You are garbage," Helo said in a voice like cold steel. "A vile, disgusting, perverted piece of trash who deserves nothing but a slow and painful death." Kveth laughed then, a horrible sound that made Aric want to just forget the plan and shoot him in the face.

"I am called many names, little girl," he chuckled. "Your words have no importance. Now go, before I-"

"You SOLD me!" Helo screamed suddenly, throwing the case of slave collars at the table in front of Kveth. "Sold me over and over again to horrible people who did horrible things, and you didn't CARE."

"I sell many little girls," Kveth sneered.

"Not anymore," Helo whispered. Kveth didn't see the detonator in her hand, but one of the mercenaries did.

"Bomb!" He shouted, pulling out his blaster and firing at Helo. He got off three shots before she depressed the trigger, and the grenades in the empty case exploded.

"Helo!" Aric started moving as soon as the mercenary drew his blaster, but by the time he tackled her, she had been hit and the grenades had exploded. The sound was familiar but still jarring, and the smell of acrid smoke filled his nose. He coughed a few times, struggling to his knees and grasping at Helo's shoulder. She groaned weakly, and tried to pull herself up.

"Did it work?" Her voice was quiet, but her eyes were fixed ahead on the area where Kveth had been sitting. Aric didn't answer, just reached down and pulled her up, wrapping her arm around his neck and his arm around her waist. Slowly they moved toward the crowd, Helo holding her blaster in a shaky hand.

The scene at the desk was enough to turn Aric's stomach. The mercenaries had all been blown to pieces – literally – and blood and gore stained the floor. The desk had been torn in two by the blast, and Kveth...

"You _veautiuena_..." Aric was shocked to realize that Kveth was somehow still alive and lying against the wall. The left side of his body was almost entirely gone, and the skin around his cybernetic implant was black and charred. The stench of burnt flesh was overwhelming, and Aric held back the urge to vomit.

"You're done," Helo whispered. She pushed Aric's arm from her waist and took two shaky steps toward Kveth. Holding her blaster in both hands, she levelled it at his forehead. "You will...NEVER...hurt anyone...again." He started to speak but she didn't give him the chance. The sound of her blaster fire cut him off as she fired bolt after bolt into his head.

Eventually she stopped and turned wobbily toward Aric. It was only then that he saw the enormous stains of blood running down her side and the pieces that had been blown out of her armor. Shit. He stepped forward quickly as her legs gave out, and he managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Th...thank you," she whispered, a thin line of blood trickling out the side of her mouth. Her breathing was shallow and ragged now, and Aric swiftly grabbed a medpack from his belt and jabbed it into the side of her neck. She whimpered slightly and he slid a hand under her legs and her neck, picking her up with ease. The kolto would take the edge off, but he didn't know how serious the wounds were.

"It's okay, _svetlobi_ ," he whispered to her as he made his way across the room and out towards the door. Leaving the building was out of the question, there would be too many gangsters for them to get past and they had used all the grenades against Kveth. Instead he found a small storage closet, squeezed inside, and pulled the wires from the door panel, locking them in. He leaned Helo gently against one of the walls and put a gentle hand on her face. "Stay with me." She groaned.

"Getting shot...hurts," she whispered, trying to smile.

"I could have told you that," he replied fondly, grabbing his holo and turning it back on. "We'll be at a medic soon. Just hold on for me, okay?" She nodded, taking a shaky breath and wincing. The holo buzzed, and after a moment, Jonas Balkar appeared. He did not look happy.

"What the hell is-"

"Shut up and listen, Balkar," Aric growled, interrupting the angry tirade. "We need a med evac stat. Lieutenant Helo is badly injured."

"What? What was she doi-"

"Do your damned job and call for help, Balkar!" Aric would have been shouting if he wasn't worried about someone hearing them. "The contact turned hostile and opened fire. We aren't safe, and we need out – NOW." Balkar looked flustered for a moment, then regained his composure.

"I'll send a team immediately." Aric looked over at Helo, whose eyes were now closed. Her breathing was so shallow it seemed like her chest barely moved. Aric began to undo her chestplate to try and stop the bleeding. "How bad is it?"

"Bad." Aric replied flatly, then disconnected the line.


	8. Chapter 8

There was a _lot_ of blood. It's not that Aric wasn't used to bandaging wounds – he was no field medic like Elara, but he had stabilized his fair share of soldiers before. But none of them had bled quite this much and made it out alive. He carefully unlatched and peeled off what was left of Helo's chestplate. The thin suit she wore under the durasteel was stained dark red, and he used one of his claws to slice through it and peel it away. When he tugged the fabric away from her wounds, she opened her eyes and let out a cry, and he had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep her from alerting anyone to their presence. He could see tears sliding down the corners of her eyes and his stomach twisted guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts," he whispered, removing his hand carefully and reaching for his medkit. "Help is coming, just hold on." She nodded, swallowing hard. He squeezed her hand and then turned his attention back to her wounds.

Helo had taken two of the three shots – one in her stomach and one in her chest. Both were bleeding profusely, and Aric could immediately tell that they weren't just grazes. He had seen blaster wounds many times before, but was always sickened by the bubbled skin and the smell of burnt flesh.

" 's it bad?" Helo mumbled, her eyes glazed. He was amazed she was still conscious.

"Mn-mm, just a scratch," he murmured gently, pulling a heavy bandage out of the medkit and looking up at her with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. His hands were shaking and he had to take a few deep breaths to steady himself. Helo wasn't going to die here. As he pressed down on the wound in her stomach to stop the bleeding, Helo shuddered and let out a soft, pained cry.

"I know, _svetlobi_ , I know," he whispered, reaching up and touching her cheek. "But I have to stop the bleeding." Then, under his breath: "Balkar, you'd better get your ass here quickly." Helo coughed again and another thin line of blood dribbled from her lips and ran down the side of her face. Fuck. Shit, shit, shit, fuck. Her breathing was ragged and erratic, and he hoped that the chest wound hadn't punctured her lung. Aric pulled a painkilling stim from the medpac and injected it into the side of her neck, hoping to hells that it worked quickly.

"Better?" He asked, placing a second bandage over the chest wound. She nodded a bit, trying to catch her breath.

"...can't...breathe to good," she gasped, and he swore under his breath again.

"Balkar will be here soon," Aric reassured her, replacing the bandage on her stomach as the first one was already soaked dark red. "I'm sure he can't wait to be the one to rescue you." Helo made a noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a laugh.

"He's...too late," she murmured. "You...already have."

Aric settled onto the ground with Helo, moving her gently to rest between his legs and leaning her head back against his chest. Her breath hitched every time he moved her, but she managed to keep quiet. She was able to keep the pressure on her stomach while he held the bandage against her chest, and he used his other hand to stroke her hair, leaving dark red stains that contrasted sharply against the white.

"Hold on, pya'ri," he murmured softly, wincing as she struggled for breath. Kriff, wasn't there anything else he could do? Helo's eyes fluttered open and closed, and he couldn't tell if she could hear him or not. "You can do this, Helo. I know you can. You're the strongest woman – strongest person I've ever met." She groaned and coughed again, more blood coating her lips and trickling down her chin.

"…" She was trying to say something, but her voice was so weak.

"Shhh, don't talk." He stroked her hair again and she leaned her face into his hand. She was struggling to breathe, he was sure she had a collapsed lung but had no idea how to fix it. "Please," he whispered, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. "Please hold on. For me."

The next half hour was the longest of his life. Their explosion had definitely caused an uproar, and he could hear people running up and down the halls, shouting in different languages, and random blaster fire. Apparently their hiding place was out of the way though, as nobody bothered to try the door. Helo's condition kept worsening. He'd had to change the bandage on her stomach three times now, and she seemed to be coughing up more and more blood. Her lips were tinged blue and she was shivering in his arms.

Suddenly there was a commotion directly outside the door. He could hear assault cannon fire, then the heavy tread of military-issue boots and an unfamiliar voice shouting commands.

"Sergeant Jorgan? Lieutenant Helo?" Thank stars, that was Elara's voice.

"Over here!" Aric shouted as loud as he could, then kicked the metal door. Helo cried out in pain. "Supply closet!" There was a shuffling of footsteps, then a loud banging. "I pulled the wires, we're locked in."

"We've got it covered." A man's voice now, slightly accented. A few seconds later there was a loud bang, and the door slid open. A cloud of smoke dissipated around Elara's concerned features.

"Are you alright?" She glanced at Aric momentarily, but he could tell that she was much more concerend about Helo.

"I'm fine, but the Lieutenant isn't. Two blaster shots to the chest and stomach." Elara knelt down in front of the two and checked under the bandages Aric had placed.

"You did an admirable job stabilizing her, Sergeant," Elara said softly, squeezing Aric's shoulder. Then she turned to the man at the door. "Get the stretcher up here immediately, we need to put in a chest tube and start her on oxygen." The man nodded shortly, then marched away.

"Is she going to make it?" Aric's voice was so quiet that he was surprised when Elara replied.

"I hope so." She placed a gentle hand on Aric's arm. He was still seated behind Helo, supporting her until the soldier returned with the stretcher. "Did you get Kveth?"

"He's gone." Aric exhaled noisily, nodding as he spoke. Elara's grip on his arm tightened and it almost looked like a smile graced her features. Just then the soldier returned with another medic and two women carrying a stretcher. Aric squeezed out from behind Helo and helped them lift her up while keeping pressure on her wounds. She cried out in pain and Aric grabbed her hand. Elara began scanning Helo, giving orders to the other medic to insert a large needle and tube into her chest above the blaster wound. Bandages were replaced, stims were injected, and then the soldiers were taking her away. He moved to follow but was stopped by the second medic.

"We need to check you out as well, sir." He must have looked dazed because the doctor reached out and took his elbow, guiding him to sit on a nearby overturned crate. He didn't resist, and didn't move as she scanned, poked and prodded him. Now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off, he could feel a deep, heavy ache throughout his entire body.

"No serious injuries, just some superficial wounds." The nurse had given him a kolto injection and he hadn't even felt it. "Looks like your squad mate took the worst of it."

"Where is sh-"

"They took her back to the base, but she'll likely be transferred to the Galactic City Medical Center on Coruscant." She laid a reassuring hand on Aric's arm. "I believe you're wanted back at the SIS base," she added. Aric nodded, feeling a tightening in his chest. What if she didn't make it to Coruscant? He didn't have time to think about it as he was ushered out of the building – now littered with bodies – and put on a speeder back to the base.


	9. Chapter 9

"He shot first?" Agent Balkar seemed unconvinced, looking at Aric questioningly over the top of his datapad. Aric nodded brusquely, tapping his fingers on the table behind him. "Why would he attack? He wanted our protection."

"One of the cases was damaged, and we found a shipment of slave collars inside." Aric had given the evidence over to one of the other SIS agents, who had looked at it with distaste before taking it off to be examined. "The other one was volatile and we had to get it to Kveth immediately. Turned out to have some kind of explosives. He took that crate from the Lieutenant and then shot her." His throat tightened at the words. "I returned fire and must have set off the explosives."

Balkar still looked unconvinced, but didn't question Aric about it any further.

"There will be an official inquiry later, but right now we have a mission of some urgency." Aric looked up, surprised. He had expected to be dismissed and sent back to his squad – to Helo. "You are being promoted to commander of Havoc Squad while Lieutenant Helo is recuperating. She's being taken to Coruscant – they have the best medical facilities in this sector." Balkar handed Aric the datapad he had been holding, and Aric glanced down at it. More coordinates.

"What's this?" He tried to keep the growl out of his voice, but judging by the look on Balkar's face he hadn't succeeded. He tried to soften his features but his brow was tight with worry.

"We had an agent go through Kveth's personal files to see if anything would be of use to the SIS," Balkar replied, returning to his desk and perching on the corner. "Turns out he was trafficking...children." He looked sickened.

 _Helo could have told you that_ , Aric thought. _Mel tried to tell you years ago and you all ignored her. The only reason you know it now is because Helo was brave enough to come back._

"Am I to understand that this is a search-and-rescue operation, then?" His hands were still trembling and he couldn't get sound of Helo choking on her own blood out of his head.

"Yes. Mostly." Balkar gestured to the datapad in Aric's hands. "The droid we're looking for – M1-4X – is at the second set of coordinates. He is currently hostile since they overrode his programming, but with a data spike you should be able to take control of his systems again."

Aric looked at the small device that Balkar was holding out to him, but didn't take it.

"With all due respect, aren't the children more of a priority?"

"You are down to a one-man squad, Jorgan," Balkar replied. "Sergeant Dorne has accompanied Lieutenant Helo to Coruscant, and we cannot spare the manpower for this mission. You will require M1-4X's services to free those children." Aric sighed, snatching the spike from Balkar's hand.

"Understood." Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

Heading to a quieter part of the building, he tried to raise Elara on the holo, but there was no answer. He tried General Garza, but got her secretary and was told she was out of the office – likely visiting Helo in the medical center. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. When was the last time he had slept? There was a sharp burning sensation behind his eyes and he shook his head to make it disappear.

He looked back down at the datapad and calculated the coordinates – not far from here. Well, there was nothing for it, then. He had to do this – for Helo and for every little one that had endured the same hell she had. He hopped onto the nearest speeder and headed off, hoping to hell that Helo would be there when he came back.

xxx

The liberation of M1-4X had gone as well as could be expected. Aric felt like he completed the mission in a fog, his senses dulled enough that he took a glancing blaster shot to the shoulder that he normally would have been able to avoid. He didn't even have the energy to give Andrik an angry lecture, and he didn't feel the normal twist in his gut when he ended up having to put a blaster bolt between the guy's eyes. The data spike had worked perfectly on the battle droid, who had immediately began spouting glories to the Republic and praises to Aric that he really didn't want to hear at the moment.

Forex had been an invaluable asset in liberating the apartment block holding Kveth's slaves, but was not particularly comforting to the children inside. Most of them had balked away from Aric as well, but when backup from SIS had arrived, it had been mostly female agents who were much more comforting than he could ever be. Aric's chest felt heavy and painful, and the feeling got worse the more children they found. By the time they had searched the entire building, a group of sixteen terrified kids huddled in the lobby of the apartment, wrapped in blankets and staring dully around them. Aric helped the SIS agents hand out bottles of water while they waited for the medical team's evaluations.

One child, a little girl who could have been no older than six, darted out of the group and grabbed on to Aric's leg. He looked at the girl, surprised, and when he crouched down he found a pair of thin arms flung around his neck. The girl began to cry softly into his shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly, patting the girl's back somewhat awkwardly. "You're safe now."

"Are they gone?" The question was muffled against his shoulder, and Aric could feel the wetness from the girl's cheek. His heart ached and he wrapped his arms around her.

"All gone," Aric replied. "They won't ever hurt you again." He picked up the little girl gently and began to stroke her hair. "What's your name?"

"Ella," was the soft reply. She still had her arms around his neck and was trembling slightly.

"Ella, my name is Aric." She nodded into his chest, then tilted her head back to look at his face.

"You're soft like a tooka-cat," she said, and he could feel her hands running through the fur on the back of his neck. It tickled, but he didn't move, just smiled softly at her. All he could do was imagine Helo as one of these children – a scared, dirty, bruised little girl who had been damaged in an unimaginable way. He had held onto Ella, talking with her and reassuring her and even singing to her at one point, which she found particularly amusing, until a transport came to take all of the children to a safe house.

"You're going somewhere safe now," he said, settling her onto the transport and crouching down in front of her. "These people are going to help you, okay?" Ella nodded sadly. He glanced around at the other children and they all had similar expressions on their face – vacant and dull, behind a veneer of terror. "Ella, I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an intricately detailed stone hung on a thin silver chain. It was beautiful and precious and had been for Helo (whenever he could find the courage to give it to her), but he felt like she would understand. He slipped the chain over Ella's neck and she looked at the stone, amazed. "It's a special stone that will keep you safe, okay?" Her eyes widened and she looked at him with a shy smile.

"For me?" He nodded and she grinned, turning the stone over and over in her hands. He smiled softly, then squeezed her hand and waved goodbye, stepping back as the transport took off.

He immediately found the closest refresher and vomited until he had nothing left in his stomach. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he leaned against the sink, gasping for air and trying to ignore the wet trails running down his face. Then he stood there for a long time, staring at himself in the mirror, feeling his empty stomach still roiling in disgust and sadness.

His holo buzzed and he stepped out of the refresher to answer it, quickly rubbing his hand over his face.

"Sergeant Jorgan, I'm glad to see that you're all right." It was General Garza, and her normally stern face was lined with what looked like concern. He must have looked terrible.

"How's the lieutenant?" He asked without any preamble. Garza gave him a penetrating look, but nodded.

"Still in critical condition," she replied. "Her lung was collapsed and there was a significant amount of damage to her internal organs. She's lucky to be alive, and I believe she has you to thank for that." Aric's breath had hitched at "critical condition", but he tried not to let it show. "They did surgery to repair both her lung and her stomach, and she's in a kolto tank at the moment. She should be conscious by the time you arrive."

"Arrive?" Aric's stomach jumped. He had expected Garza to keep him here, or send him off on another mission while Helo recuperated.

"I'm bringing you and M1-4X back to Coruscant," Garza replied. "There's an official inquiry into the incident with the SIS contact, and we have some technicians who would like to take a look at M1-4X." Aric nodded. "Report to me immediately when you land. Garza out."


	10. Chapter 10

The trip to Coruscant was hellish. Aric knew he should rest, but between his worry for Helo and his horror at the events on Nar Shaddaa, he couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ella, but she was actually Helo, and she was covered with bruises and scars, and then she was bleeding from her stomach and crying his name. Forex didn't say anything at first, but after the third nightmare that had Aric bolt awake, shouting and panting, he enthusiastically suggested a sleeptab, which Aric took without argument. It dulled the nightmares and the heaviness in his chest enough to get a few hours of sleep, but when he woke from it he felt fuzzy and uncoordinated. He let Forex handle the docking procedures and the call to Garza while he showered and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

Forex seemed to enjoy talking, and he told daring stories and spouted Republic propaganda entire way to the Senate tower. He didn't stop even once they arrived in Garza's office.

"Sir, it is an honor to meet such an esteemed member of the Republic. Together we will crush the Imperial scum beneath the boot-heel of justice!" Garza looked mildly amused.

"That's what I want to her," she said, motioning for a woman standing in the corner of her office to come forward. "This is K'ya, one of our engineers. She's going to take a look at your programming and make sure there aren't any hidden Imperial fail-safes." If a droid could look shocked and offended, Aric thought that Forex probably would be. Instead, he saluted General Garza, bellowed, "For the Republic!", then followed the woman out of the room.

Garza stood for a long moment, carefully evaluating Aric. He stood at attention, gazing at a spot on the wall behind her head.

"Sergeant, you look terrible," she finally set. "At ease." He relaxed slightly, but didn't move his gaze. He was sure that if he met Garza's eyes, she would be able to see right into him. There was an uncomfortable silence, then Garza sighed. "I know that you're angry, and you have every right to be." Aric stiffened. "I want you to know that it was not an easy decision to sent Lieutenant Helo back to Nar Shaddaa." He huffed lightly, hoping that Garza wouldn't notice.

"It's not my job to question orders," Aric said stiffly. Garza shook her head.

"No, it isn't," she admitted. "But it isn't easy watching someone you care for get hurt." Surprise made Aric finally turn his gaze to the General, and he saw something like compassion in her eyes. "I'm not blind, Sergeant. You care for her."

"I'm not – she – she's my commanding officer, sir," Aric stammered, brain still fuzzy from the sleeptab. "Her well-being is integral to the squad's-"

"Sergeant, you don't need to explain." Garza's interruption was firm but not unkind. "I'm putting you and the Lieutenant on convalescent leave until she's back on her feet. You could use the rest."

"Sir?"

"The engineers will take a while to determine if the droid has any residual Imperial programming, and I need you both in peak condition for the fight against Tavus." She sat back down behind her desk and waved her hand toward the door. "The lieutenant is at the Galactic City Medical Center. Dismissed."

xxx

Aric had never been to the Galactic City Medical Center before, and was astounded by its architecture. Glass spires soared into the air, sunlight glinting off the peaks and trickling down to the ground. An artificial river ran around the outside of the building, and when he crossed the bridge over it, he could see some kind of fish moving lazily with the current.

The young Zabrak at the front desk pointed Aric toward the trauma wing, on the seventh floor of the north tower. The glass fronted elevator gave him a fantastic view of the city, but he barely even saw it. When he reached the seventh floor he hurried down the hallway, slowing down outside room 703. A tall, dark-haired man with a datapad stood in the doorway, and he turned to Aric.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see the Lieut—to see Helo. Helo Summers." He tried to peer around the man but it was impossible, he filled the entire doorway.

"Are you family?" Aric shook his head. "Sorry, only family for now, her-"

"Helo, I think it's your boyfriend!" A drawling, cheerful voice interrupted the doctor and he stepped aside to reveal a short, red-headed woman with a thick scar through her right eye. She wore dark red pants and a white shirt, open at the neck, with a heavy black vest over top.

There was a mumbled protest from in the room, and the redhead put a hand on the doctor's arm.

"Let him in, Doc." She winked and Aric could see the doctor blush. He nodded and stepped aside, letting Aric into the room.

Helo was sitting up in a large, comfortable looking bed, propped up by several pillows. She looked exhausted, and her entire torso was wrapped in bandages that poked out from under her hospital-issued shirt. When she saw Aric, an enormous smile broke out across her face.

"Aric," she breathed, not even bothering to pretend to be professional. Aric smiled back but stood there awkwardly. The red-headed girl was still standing behind him, hands on her hips, and a man sat in the chair beside Helo's bed. He had dark, thick dreadlocks that were bound at the back of his head, and a heavily scarred face. He smiled broadly at Aric and stood up, reaching out a hand.

"Howdy, you must be Aric!" The man shook his hand enthusiastically. "I'm Corso, Helo's cousin. She's told us all about you." Aric nodded, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. His tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth, and all he could do was gaze at Helo. She was alive. She was awake. She wasn't bleeding to death in his arms, or imprisoned by a gangster, or hurting herself to keep the bad thoughts away. She was here, she was breathing, she was whole. His chest ached.

"Corso, let 'em be," the redhead grabbed Corso by the waist and pulled him toward her, even though she only came up to his armpit. "I think they need a minute. Or several." Corso laughed and turned to Helo, waving. "We'll be back!"

And then it was them. Just them, with only three feet between them. Three feet and so many words.

"I thought you were going to die." Aric didn't mean to start that way, but the words tumbled off his tongue before he could stop them. He felt a hot, prickling sensation behind his eyes and at the bridge of his nose. "There was so much blood and you weren't breathing and they took you aw-"

"Aric." Her voice was soft, and she reached out a hand toward him. "Come here." He obliged, stepping toward her and falling into the chair next to her bed. He was so, so tired. He swallowed, looking into her dark grey eyes and trying to memorize her face. It was scratched and scarred from the shrapnel, and she looked beautiful. "You saved my life," she whispered, reaching out and placing a hand on his cheek. He leaned into it immediately, letting out a quiet half-sob, half-sigh. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, not caring who saw or what they would say. She opened her mouth to his and kissed him back, hard and desperate, and he could feel wetness smudging between their cheeks. She broke away gently, putting her other hand on the other side of his face and leaning her forehead against his. "You saved me."


End file.
